Christmas Memories and Realities, Dec. 23, 2013

Today as I sit here in sunny California looking out the window at the beautiful scenery I realize that there are only two more days until Christmas. I think back many, many years ago when I was a child I might have counted the days differently so that I could think there was only one day left until Christmas morning. Then my mind wonders to the farm where we lived. Oh, how I loved that farm. Our house was very plain but it was a loving home. No electricity. No running water. The house was heated with a coal burning stove. Mom cooked in a wood stove and those wonderful aroma that came out of that kitchen. One of my many chores was to keep mom's wood bin full of wood for the stove. In my minds eye I can smell those aromas now. I use to love to help her cook especially bake because I always got to taste and clean the beaters and spoons. Oh, how wonderful that was. Much of that time was during World War II when we had food rationing and you really had to save you stamps to get sugar and that sort of thing to bake those Christmas cookies, pies, and cakes.  I recall searching the woods on our farm for the  “ perfect “ cedar tree that would become our Christmas tree. Cedar was the only kind of evergreen tree we had on the farm and more often than not there did not have very good shape but they had a wonderful aroma. We never thought of buy a Christmas tree. Then came the trimming of the tree. We did not have electricity so there were no lights and the worry of a fire prohibited the use of candles so that was out of the question. I would spend a great amount of time stringing pop corn in long strands. Of course there was always a lot of eating of the pop corn in the process. We did have a few brightly colored ornaments which we hung onto the tree and they were very delicate and broke easily if dropped or banged together. We used tinsel foil which came in long pieces a foot or so long and you delicately hung them over the limb. You had to be very careful in handling them because they would tear easily and would mat together and become useless. We also used different kinds of colored rope and beaded trim which we draped on the tree. And of course we had an old beat up angle to put on top of the tree. The tree would be magnificent in my eyes but perhaps would be very plain and unattractive to some else with more financial means but it was mine and it was perfect. Another of my memories which is as fresh today as then (  that is what I was think about that got me started writing this ) and that was the wishing for a white Christmas. We seldom had a white Christmas but I really wished for one. The writing of a letter to Santa Clause and the spending hours looking through the Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Wards Christmas catalogs and wishing I had this- no that - or some other thing. Then there the struggle to go to sleep after having some stories read to me by mother. I have always been a very early riser and I am sure I drove Mom and Dad crazy getting up early anyway but especially on Christmas morning. What a glorious day that was. I sit here day dreaming of those days and I suddenly realize there are thousands of children who have lived there lives here in sunny California that have never experienced those kind of days and many of those activities and could not understand what I am talking about.

After a few moments I realize there is still a more important; no the most important aspect of Christmas to remember and that is in the cold winter time there was a young man traveling with his wife who was pregnant and nearing time to give birth. This young couple was Joseph and Mary. At that time the Roman ruler had issued a decree that a census should be taken and this caused everyone to travel to his home town to register. So Joseph and his wife Mary went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee in Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. You see several months before God sent the angle Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angle went to her and said, “ greeting, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you “. Mary was greatly troubled at these words and I am not surprised that she would be. She wondered what kind of greeting is this. I think we can safely say she was not accustomed to having an angle coming to visit her. The angle continued that she should not be afraid and he proceeded to tell her further that “ Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High “. Mary questioned the angle and indicated that she was a virgin and had never been with a man. To Mary’s question the angle told her “ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you “. Mary replied that she was the Lord’s servant and “ May it be to me as you have said “. At this point the angle departed. She certainly knew of the prophecies that foretold of the coming of a promised messiah and she accepted what the angle told her.

Now we are back to them traveling. Him walking and leading a donkey upon which she is riding and it is nearing night, they are cold, tired and she realizes that her time of delivery of the baby is at hand and they start searching for a place to stay. They came to an inn and Joseph inquired about a room and was told there was no vacancy. What are they going to do? The inn keeper told them they could stay in the stable. Later she gave birth to a baby boy, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger. A manger was a feeding trough  used to feed the animals.

Now at this time there were shepherds out in the hills watching and protecting their flocks of sheep. This was no usual night because you see an angle of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone all around them and they were terrified. I would suspect so. Here it is in the dark of the night and suddenly this angle appears to them and the night sky lights up like it is day. The angle tells them not to be afraid because I have great news and joy for you and all people. The angle explains that in the town of David a savior has been born and he is Christ the Lord. The angle further tells them that there is a sign for them and this sign is that they will find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. This might seem strange to us and not be such a good clue as where the baby is to be found but for them they obviously knew what a manger was used for and that they would find a manger in a stable. Then suddenly the shy erupts the angle reappearing with a great company of heavenly hosts and they were praising God and saying “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests “. They talked among themselves and decided to go see what the Lord had disclosed to them. They hurried off and found Mary, Joseph and the baby just as the angle had told them. After seeing the baby they departed and told everyone what they had seen and heard and the people were amazed.

So many things amazed us about this story. In the first place the Jewish nation had been expecting a savior to come as had been prophesied for generation. But Jesus was not the type of savior they had expected. They were expecting a strong military leader who would free them for the bondage imposed upon them by the Roman occupation of their land. Earlier generation may have had the same hope of being freed from the oppression of other conquerors. He was from Nazareth and they did not think anything of value could come out of Nazareth. They knew Joseph his earthly father so they did not accept that he was God’s son. They could not comprehend that their “ King “ and Savior of the Jewish people would be born in such humble surroundings. Wouldn’t he be born in a palace and announced to the world by heralds of the nobility rather than lowly shepherds. Shepherds were considered a very low class of people. I suspect many people today have the same difficulty in accepting that Jesus was and is in fact the son of God. Further people have difficulty accepting the fact that Jesus’ mission to the world was to live a sinless life and then sacrifice his life on a cross for the sins of the world. That means your sins and my sins. That means he made a way for all mankind to be reconciled with God by accepting the free gift of salvation. That is, to acknowledge that Jesus is the son of God , ask him to forgive you of your sins and accept the free gift of salvation. You know a gift that you receive that is wrapped has to be opened to accept it. That is the same with Gods free gift of salvation to us. We have to open the package so to speak to accept it.

This is what the true meaning of Christmas is all about for me. All the beauty we associate with Christmas, All the gifts we exchange, all the wonderful visits we have with family and friends and of course the great memories we have of past Christmases pale in comparison to the true meaning of Christmas as you will find documented in God’s word the Holy Bible.

My Christmas and continuing prayer is that each of you who read this will accept the gift of salvation.

I wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Remember God loves you and so do I.

Grandpa Bill